title: High strength bioactive glass-ceramic scaffolds for bone regeneration.
abstract: This research work is focused on the preparation of macroporous glass-ceramic scaffolds with high mechanical strength, equivalent with cancellous bone. The scaffolds were prepared using an open-cells polyurethane sponge as a template and glass powders belonging to the system SiO(2)-P(2)O(5)-CaO-MgO-Na(2)O-K(2)O. The glass, named as CEL2, was synthesized by a conventional melting-quenching route, ground and sieved to obtain powders of specific size. A slurry of CEL2 powders, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a binder and water was prepared in order to coat, by a process of impregnation, the polymeric template. A thermal treatment was then used to remove the sponge and to sinter the glass powders, in order to obtain a replica of the template structure. The scaffolds were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction analysis, morphological observations, density measurements, volumetric shrinkage, image analysis, capillarity tests, mechanical tests and in vitro bioactivity evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Materials Science and Chemical Engineering Department, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vitale-Brovarone
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baino
authors.forename: Enrica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Verné
mesh_terms: D001826:Body Fluids / Q000737:chemistry*; D001861:Bone Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D018786:Bone Substitutes / Q000737:chemistry*; D002516:Ceramics / Q000737:chemistry*; D005898:Glass / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing
chemical_list: D018786:Bone Substitutes